Running Up Mountains: Lessons Learned

As my watched beeped for mile seven of my eight-mile run today, I smiled and thought about how that was mile 50 for the week. Elite runners boast of averaging 50 miles a week for an entire year, but for me, 51.5 miles for the week without injury is an accomplishment! Later my husband reminded me that I have to run that all in one day on my first day of the PCT Section J fastpack I have planned for late August. Uh huh. It's going to be a long day with lots of hiking up steep sections.

Speaking of HIKING up steep sections, yesterday, I ran the Issaquah Alps westbound, adding a two-mile section of the Coal Creek Trail to get to 24 miles. I finished the toughest part of the run, Tiger Mountain, feeling pretty good and began the climb up Squak on the East Ridge Trail, a never-ending Z of switchbacks. Normally, I hike more than half of this, but yesterday, I realized I was running it and feeling good. I thought, wow, am I actually going to run this thing? I thought I was nearly at the top, so I kept running. But as many a hiker knows, one switchback can look like the next, and the next, and the next. I should have walked at that point, but I just kept going, wanting to run the whole thing. Mistake.

On my way down Squak on Margaret's Way, I was really, really tired. I repeated the mantra, "Mind in boat" (if you've read Boys in the Boat you know what I am talking about), and stayed as focused as possible so I wouldn't stumble. My hamstring can't take another lunge forward. As I approached a tangled mass of roots, I tripped first with my left foot and then my right. I just couldn't pick my feet up enough to clear the roots--I was that tired. I didn't hurt my hamstring, though, because I pitched forward Superman-style and landed in a plank position. Even my core was tired, I noted, as I pushed awkwardly up from a pushup position. And I still had Cougar Mountain to go.

Amazingly, Cougar afforded me some nice hiking breaks and I was able to run down the west side, however slowly. Then came the section that was new to me on Coal Creek. Thank goodness it was groomed and wide, with mostly a gentle downward slope. I simply had nothing left. My run turned out to be 25.5 miles, clocking in at seven hours, 45 minutes. The previous long run of 23.5 took me 7:36, so I was pleased with my time but not with how I felt. I have never wanted to be done so badly, even in 50Ks. I should have hiked more of the East Ridge Trail.

I subscribe to the motto, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should" in many aspects of my life. Looks like I need to apply it to trail running.

I was lucky that the sun was blocked by high clouds until about 1:00 pm. It kept me cool for most of my run.